Tom Green County, TX - Bios: William F. Holt
TX BIOS: William F. Holt
Selected and converted.American Memory, Library of Congress.
Washington, 1994.
Preceding element provides place and date of transcription only.
This transcription intended to be 99.95% accurate.
For more information about this text and this American Memory
collection, refer to accompanying matter.
U.S. Work Projects Administration, Federal Writers' Project (Folklore
Project, Life Histories, 1936-39); Manuscript Division, Library of
Congress.Copyright status not determined.
00011
Pioneer [DEL: [??] :DEL] history
Range-lore
Nellie B. Cox
San Angelo, Texas.
Page one
RANGE-LORE
William F. Holt was one of the earliest settlers at Ben Ficklin. He
had many years of adventure before coming to the West. He says:
"I was born in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1850 but do not remember any
thing of my parents. I was passed around, it seems, among friends and
kinfolks. I have never gone to school a day in my life but I have
learned to read and write. When I was about ten, a family in Baltimore
was going to send me to school and in return I was to wash dishes,
look after the younger children and to be generally useful.
NOTE: C12 - Texas
00022I carried out my part very well, I hope, but I didn't get to go
to school.
"Several years later I was living with some relatives. They sent me to
look up their cow, an old, red cow. As I walked in the woods, I made
up my mind to leave, which I did and I suppose they are still waiting
for me to return with that cow.
"I made my way to an uncle in San Francisco, California, joining with
a wagon train of settlers bound for that state. The Indians attacked
us twice as we crossed the Plains. The first attack was during the
day. The two scouts saw the band and we had time to form our wagons in
a circle and fight the Indians off. It was only a small bunch of
Indians, evidently some who had been on a hunting trip. They used bows
and arrows and even as a young boy, I marveled at their skill. This
attack was, I think, in Iowa and the Indians were of the Dakota tribe.
"I don't remember how many were in the wagon train, but when the
wagons all got under way, it was to me an inspiring sight. The
hardships of the journey were passed over lightly, really were never
mentioned. To the men and boys, California was a land of gold and to
the women it meant the establishing of homes away from what they
considered a crowded East. Most of us larger boys walked every day and
all day, but what was the difference? We were in no hurry. 00033"The
Indians attacked our train at night the next time. They swooped down
on us in a sudden attack just as we were retiring. Every thing was
thrown into disorder for a short time but our men were always on the
lookout, so it wasn't long before they were pouring lead into the red
rascals. We didn't come out so easily that time. One of our young men
was killed and two more wounded, but we repulsed the Indians. We fully
expected another attack during the night and close watch was kept.
Clouds arose and under cover of the darkness the Indians carried away
their dead. They must have carried many arrows for there were lots of
them left on the ground.
"The young man who was killed was shot in the abdomen. Even at this
late day, the horror and terror of this occasion remain with me.
"We stayed in camp the next day and sorrowfully buried our dead and
made the wounded as comfortable as possible. Then we proceeded on our
journey.
"When I reached my uncle in San Francisco, I found that he was captain
of a whaling boat and was ready to start on a voyage. He shipped me as
cabin boy and I followed the sea for four years. I have been in every
country in the world except parts of Europe. To me, Australia was the
most wonderful country we found. On one island in the Pacific Ocean,
the cannibals caught me 00044and were going to eat me. I know they had
that intention. They felt of me, tested my flesh by pinching, and
showed their pleasure in the fact that I was young and tender. They
began to beat their drums to call the others to come and see their
next meal but some of the sailors, hearing the drums, came to my
rescue. On another occasion, I was very ill and my uncle left me on an
island where the natives were friendly and I was nursed to health by
the queen of the island. If these islands were named at that time, I
did not learn any of the names. We went around Cape Horn several times
and always in storms. On the ship the sailors cursed and swore and I
did likewise but in port and at my uncle's home my aunt reprimanded me
severely for my language and I vowed never to be guilty of foul words
again and I have kept the vow all these years.
"The whales we caught were divided, the captain receiving one out of
every three and the sailors getting the other two as their share. We
were paid at the end of a voyage. As we were returning home after I
had been on the sea for over four years, I decided to try something
else so another sailor and I left the ship (and with it our profits
from the whales) on the west coast of Mexico. We had only a little
money and long pearl-handled knifes but I made my way a-foot to Fort
Concho, Texas. What became of my companion? He stayed drunk 00055so I
was compelled to go off and leave him. The Mexicans were good to us
and fed us but every where they wanted those knives that my companion
and I had. We lay down to sleep one night and the next morning our
knives were gone. Well, I was so glad to reach Fort Concho that I have
stayed here.
"I married Miss Sallie Johnson. Her father furnished the soldiers in
the fort with buffalo meat. I had gone to California for some sheep
for the Stinson Ranch at the time of the Ben [Ficklin?] flood.
"I made several trips to California for sheep, trailing them back
through the Imperial Valley, deserts, and mountains. In the spring of
1884, four men were driving a herd of horses north to some ranch,
possibly the Goodnight Ranch. I was to come along and gather up the
stragglers. The man told me the exact place they were to camp, on the
edge of a small canyon in a mott of trees.
"I reached the place where they were to camp just before sun-down.
Seeing the camp fire, I rode right in, only to be seized by Indians.
They had killed and scalped the four men and were waiting for
moonlight to round-up the horses. I had only a knife, the only weapon
I have ever carried. By their motions and actions, I knew they thought
there was something queer about me. They evidently expected a large
bunch of men to follow 00066but when no others showed up they took me
and the horses and started to the north.
"I have never reasoned out why they let me go, but after keeping me
prisoner for two days and nights they untied me and gave me to
understand that I was free. I eventually made my way back home.
"At one time in my travels, I think it was in Mexico, I came to a
village where the people were dying of a plague. The dead were left as
they had died and others who were able were leaving their sick and
dead and fleeing. I stayed in an old church at night, as the dark
caught me there. As I lay on the floor I could hear a peculiar,
ghostly noise somewhere in the building. The noise seemed to come from
the belfry. I never believed in ghosts but with the thought of those
dead and dying people all around, I began to wonder if I hadn't been
mistaken about ghosts. Finally, I got up courage enough to climb up
into the belfry and there sat a big owl. He looked at me with his big
eyes as if to say 'Man, do you see what I see?' At the first peep of
light, I was gone from that place.
"I have served as Justice of Peace of the Knickerbocker district for
more than 18 years. I was one of the first commissioners elected when
[Fort?] Green was first organized as a county and have held court
during hectic times. I organized the first Sunday School at Ben
Ficklin 00077and also at Knickerbocker. The early days were not so bad
as they are sometimes pictured." 0008Range-lore
Nellie B. Cox
San Angelo, Texas.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
W. F. Holt, San Angelo, Texas, interviewed, January 13, 1938.
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